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I was back at Lowe's this weekend for some pickup stuff around the house and they've got their Halloween decorations out in full force. Quite literally, as soon as you walk in, the whole left side of the front of the store has everything you would need to decorate your house from the lawn ornaments to the hanging door skeletons and little bowls for the tables.
I didn't get pictures of everything, but the new animatronics are out. They seemed to have last year's DJ still for sale, but this year they've added some punk rocker skeletons, Disney / Pixar, creepy dolls and other big skeletons to the mix. The light up punk rock skeletons reminded me a little bit of DÃa de los Muertos skeleton dancers. They were really cute and unfortunately, the "test me" button didn't work on the Disney/Pixar stuff so I didn't get a video of them. Rest assured it was Mickey and Minnie as "The Mummy", Stitch in a costume, as well as Mike and Sully from "Monsters Inc" as movie monsters.
With the first picture, the skeleton holding the candy bowl, that's pretty neat because you don't have to worry about constantly holding the bowl or passing it around. If you stood it next to you to "trick" the kids, they'd probably not know what to do first. I could see some random small human being so confused.
Although, for the adults who want to have a party, I did find two skeletons holding a coffin, that could end up holding iced beverages or anything else you need for fun.
The pumpkin head scarecrow I've seen in various animatronic form - both online and in other stores.
The winged creature skeleton and upper half skeleton are two of the new features this year. The half skeleton box says he's a Grim Reaper Ground Breaker. Solely based on you plop him on the ground and he looks like he's coming up from the dirt. Much like the skeleton I saw at Costco the other day. The ground breakers really must be the new things this year because I don't recall seeing them in the past.
Rather, I don't recall animated ones. I remember growing up, we had a family friend who would do his house up in haunted form and he'd have a heck ton of stuff out and around. If I recall correctly, he had smaller ground breakers - hands and arms, legs and feet, all dislocated and everywhere on the front lawn. I know I've talked about this plenty of times before. Technology is getting better with these things so we're able to add more oomph to them.
There's a Grim Reaper mist maker available on Amazon and it's just the head. It looks like one of those things you could start your haunting with - put it by your front door to "welcome" the guests inside. Add to the illusion that maybe something might come scurrying your way once you pass the threshold.
Which is not to be confused with the mouse maze floor at Spooky World in Berlin, MA, in the early 1990s.
Man, did I just pull that memory out of left field. Hot damn. That's crazy. I have such vivid recollections of going there with my youth group and really having fun with it.
Wow.. even as I type this, I can't believe how it's all coming back.. the trips there. I remember we were told not to encourage the performers while on the hay ride, nor were we allowed to make contact with them. But I didn't listen. I high-fived one of them as we went around the corner and asked him how he was. He answered "Great!" as he high-fived me back. 😄
Yet the "Mouse Girl" and some sort of "Mouse Maze" is another thing that sticks out. I remember walking through the tent like "o...kay.." and at some point I looked down and we had been walking over clear PVC flooring. Underneath our feet was a labyrinth full of scurrying rodents! The mouse girl was within a few feet of where the floor mice were.
Crazy times, I tell you, crazy times! The things we remember when we least expect it!
I guess, with the Coraline-meets-Wednesday-Addams-meets-Sally looking girl in the single picture after the ground breaker, she's cute and all, but she does have a Tim Burton feeling to her. I found various "creepy girl" animatronics on Amazon, but they're not close to the one at the store today. This is a "Haunted Farm" thing, it seems; they have other dolls you can buy.
We all know the witches so it's not that hard to find them around. But with the last picture, it seems like the employee was so dehydrated from the Florida sun, he needed to take a break for a few minutes. Which ultimately, might have turned into a few days. He still looks a little parched.
Overall, when I went to find most of the items on Amazon, I think the "Haunted Living" brand is specific to Lowe's so the search came up with other types of animatronics. Searching for "Halloween Animatronics" also came up with something different, but has similar items as the search for Haunted Living. "Haunted Hill Farm" might be the knock off - literally (because there are some really close look a-likes and scrolling the page I saw one that looked like the DJ, but in a different outfit).
I'm still sitting here like, "da fuq am I remembering??" as I type all this. The power of just free-writing and going on about random things. This is what happens when I start a post - I get squirreled over something and then start thinking about something different. It is also why it takes me a few hours to write my posts. Just because the time stamp says one thing, trust me, it's hours later. I get too involved in research and writing, and before you know it, there's my afternoon gone. It's okay though; I am keeping things sharp and ready for the next round of adventures.
Until then, be safe, be well, and stay hydrated. You don't want to end up like that last guy!
Had to do a Costco run today with some friends. We weren't paying too much attention to some of the items at the front of the store (entrance) but once we turned the corner from the electronics, right in our sightline, we had two huge Halloween decorations.
I know on the Costco site (over $200), so Amazon having the skeleton for under 50 means it's not the same size. Buyer beware when you're looking for something economical because "size matters" in this case.
The Frankenstein is listed on the Costco site as "7.5' Animated Monster with LCD Eyes and Sound" but it is not available on the A to Z page. Instead, I found other animated objects for sale. Like I said, the skeleton, listed as "62" Giant Ground Breaking Skeleton with LCD Eyes and Sound" in the warehouse, is not truly the same one as listed on Jeff Bezos' stakeholder site. The crawler varies by price and size.
I didn't notice the eyes move on the skeleton (maybe the power was off), but holy cow; when we walked down the aisle and past hoodlum Frank, his eyes really did follow us. It was weird and got me singing Rockwell's "Somebody's Watching Me" (the debut album of the same name was released on Motown Records in January of 1984).
Yes, I said "Hoodlum Frank" because he looks like he's trolling the bad side of town for a quick score of cheap candy. If he wanted the good stuff (you know, the king size bars), he'd be a little more dressed up dapper, in order to go to the posh communities. Plus, he wouldn't be wearing sawed off handcuffs to mansions on the hill. Unless they were made of gold and diamond crusted. 😂
Anyway, when we saw the decorations, one of the friends asked "Where do you keep those things when they're not on your lawn?" and I said "If you're like my friend Shawn, you're using them all year round".
I explained how Shawn has two giant skeletons in his yard, of which he decorates based on season. During big football games, they're passing the pigskin. During summer, they're wearing pool floaties. It's gotten to the point that he's had them outside for so long, he's found a creator online that can 3D print some of the joint pieces and has had things replaced (because purchasing a new full body would be silly if you know how to just reattach a single piece). When you're that skinny and dislocate a joint, it's easier to pop a new piece back into place than to worry about someone getting jealous of the new kid on the block. That, and the trash men might not appreciate having to squish a Halloween decoration in their truck; depending on how compact it gets, there's potential of someone getting worried the femur is real and police are called to the dump. You never know... since the area could be corrupt (aka mob run) and all.. we both are very well versed with New England mafia lore.
Ok. I'm going off subject and into territories that could get me in trouble. Back on track.
I did explain to my friends though, in all honesty, that Shawn really keeps the skeletons up all year and decorates them accordingly. My aside was just that.. me going on a squirrel adventure and taking you along.
My friends thought that keeping the skeletons up year round was interesting and a fun idea because you seriously could do so many different things with these large items and if you have great neighbors, you're apt for some amazing times. But if you're like us, living in condos or small communities where houses are on top of each other, what can you do with the 7.5 foot tall Frankenstein Monster? Houses in Florida don't have attics or basements, so it's hard to stash large items. As it is, people tend to go all out with certain holiday decorations, so blowup stuff is more manageable. All in one / put together plastic or mechanical pieces tend to not find space in a closet because they're clunky. You never know though; someone could be quite smart in how they can pack away their decorations and still have room for more stuff. All the power to that person; I know what it feels like to play Tetris with tote bins. You're not alone!
Speaking of alone, it's Wednesday and I've been at this post long enough, that the History Channel reality show, "Alone" is starting soon and I'd like to go watch it.
Until next time, stay safe, stay hydrated and stay off the streets during the night. You never know who's following or watching you...
I've got a few different places to be in this post, so stick with me.
All of this has happened in the span of 5 days, give or take.
1. A Halloween related decoration I found at a random store
2. A big old gecko on a tree that I saw while waiting for the air conditioning company to come service the house
3. A random thunderstorm we had.
4. Another gecko I saw while walking to my house after checking the mail.
5. An audio book I took out from the library because the synopsis looked interesting.
6. Cool Super Hero decals at the library
Alright; so in order of things I'd like to accomplish:
One -
At this point, I don't remember what store I was in, however, I saw a random Pennywise related Halloween decoration. As all stores are gearing up for Spooky Season, this particular store was filled with the scary items.
I wish I got the full name and price of the piece, because it's hard to find online, unless you're checking after market websites (Mercari, Poshmark, etc). The tag I did take a photo of, says this little statue is by "Authentique Spooky Night" and is an "LED Lighted Decor". Unfortunately, I didn't get a photo of the bottom, which has the on/off switch and more information. Plus, one of the eyes is a bit broken (burnt out?).
It's rather Shakespearean level creepy and really cool at the same time. I wish both eyes could light up and that I got more information from it. Being a fan of the original "IT", this is a new concept for marketing. I'm sure it's not supposed to be Stephen King related but someone made damn sure that people would automatically recognize the red hair and jester outfit.
Searching online for it, again, it's third party websites. They're naming it things like ""Halloween LED Skeleton", "Creepy IT Skeleton Clown", "New Spooky Night IT Pennywise Skeleton Bust LED Light-Up Halloween Decor"; you get the idea. Amazon doesn't have anything remotely close. I tried "pennywise clown skeleton bust pedestal" and got various clowns that weren't Pennywise, but when they were, it was the Bill Skarsgård version. I tried "creepy it skeleton clown" and came back with nothing related to the movie.. at all.
It's literally a dead end for the A to Z seller unless you want to go after market somewhere else. Buyer beware because they're all different prices have different shipping costs. If I could remember where I saw this, I'd honestly say "or go to the store and see if they have it".
Two - the gecko that kept me company while waiting for the AC technician:
This was one of those situations where I needed to be outside in the driveway waiting because every time we get "an outsider" (aka a service technician or a delivery), the person always missing the apartment. We end up watching them drive to the other end of the street before they turn around and drive to our direction. It's an easy oops but first instinct says they take a right instead of a left.
It was at least 95° out and I wasn't feeling like standing completely in the sun, so I waited closer to the door. It was shady enough, where I felt I could keep an eye out for the van and stay somewhat cool at the same time.
I also uploaded a video because he looked like he was doing pushups at one point:
It seems like the geckos are getting bigger and bigger these days. Every time we look outside, there's a monster of a lizard hanging out on the bricks. The plop plops are going to have a run for their food source at some point, if these smaller ones get any bigger.
Three - we had a random thunderstorm.
Welcome to summer in Florida!
Now that we're having more steady rain, we're kind of back on schedule for our daily (afternoon) flooding.
The downside to all of this, besides the fact the water comes so fast and furious with no where to go, is that it leaves just as soon as it arrives. The temperature drops for the duration of the wet, but once it's over, it gets back to being hot and humid and most of the quickly made ponds dry back up.
The only difference between my street and backyard flooding and the main roads gaining too much water, is, the main roads can't dry up as quick as my community. Therefore, the water stays for too long and makes traveling a little difficult in some areas.
Trust me; I've gotten stuck on some of the main roads when there's been too much water around and larger cars (aka pickups) speed past you and create tidal waves on to your car. It's scary and not necessary - the way the people speed through the streets, especially during heavy storms. You don't know what you could run over and how you're going to effect the person in the lane next to you. Everyone is in a rush and no one wants to take their time through this. It's like being stuck in a snow storm; ice and sleet can bring the same amount of trouble.
Ask me how I know. Haha.
Four - Ants go marching one by one while a gecko hangs out on the gutter.
I happened to go get the mail today and looked at a neighbor's front driveway. As we have brightly neutral colored houses, any dark shadow will stick out.
I saw another big gecko on the drain pipe and felt the need to explore.
Sorry if you thought I was looking in your house, dear neighbor. I wasn't snooping; I was visiting your visitor.
This is another decent sized gecko, and he happened to have ants crawling around him. Unless the insects were his traveling companions of the eating kind, I've never seen the two together before. It was interesting.
The not so interesting part was when he fanned his chin out. According to Google, it's called a "dewlap" and it's only done by males because they're trying to impress females. Either it was hitting on me or there was a girl lizard hiding somewhere. 😂
I've seen the fan before, not just in Jurassic Park (like we're all used to), but I've seen it in the geckos too. If you stand still enough and let them do their thing, they do pop the chin thing out in hope that a friend will come visit. It's the oddest thing to see but also pretty neat. #Natureyo
Five - I went to the library and took out a 26 disc audiobook.
I happened to be perusing the audiobook on CD section of my local library and saw something new.
They had a 2016 biography on Paul McCartney, titled "Paul McCartney: The Life" by Phillip Norman.
This is an "official" Macca biography, according to the synopsis:
"Since the age of 21, Paul McCartney has lived one of the ultimate rock 'n' roll lives, played out on the most public of stages. Now Paul's story is told by rock music's foremost biographer, with McCartney's consent and access to family members and close friends who have never spoken on the record before.
Paul McCartney: The Life reveals the complex character behind the façade and sheds new light on his childhood - blighted by his mother's death but redeemed by the father who introduced him to music. This is the first definitive account of Paul's often troubled partnership with John Lennon, his personal trauma after the Beatles' breakup, and his subsequent struggle to get back to the top with Wings - which nearly got him murdered in Africa and brought him nine days in a Tokyo jail.
Listeners will learn about his marriage to Linda, including their much-criticized musical collaboration, and a moving account of her death. Packed with new information and critical insights, Paul McCartney: The Life will be the definitive biography of a musical legend.
Which, if you've read my past posts about a rabbit hole conspiracy called "Paul Is Dead", this book will be totally different and perhaps not all correct, seeing how 'Faul' has his own story out.
There is a 2009 biography from Thomas E. Uharriet titled "The Memoirs of Billy Shears: The Nine After 9-09 Edition", which my friend Tay had given me a copy of. The Billy Shears version is allegedly the real story behind the tin foil hat speculation of how James Paul really "vanished" and William Shepherd / Billy Shears came to be.
The synopsis of the Billy Shears edition (via Amazon) states:
"In 1969, a rumor erupted that Paul McCartney, “the cute Beatle”, had been replaced. Generations later, we see that the Beatles spent hundreds of hours making “Paul is Dead” clues but were required to deny it. What if “Billy Shears” really had replaced Paul and still plays that role today? How would he explain taking over the band?
The memoirs, from Billy Shears’ perspective, reveals his conflict with John but also his delight in working with “Fifth Beatle” George Martin. With a shared commitment to quality, innovation, and a global agenda, their work transformed the planet, leading us through a psychedelic revolution that changed how we see ourselves.
In July 2018 (28 months after George Martin passed away), his eldest son, Gregory Paul Martin, received an advance copy of the Nine After 9-09 Edition of the Memoirs of Billy Shears. He had known the Beatles’ original Paul since 1962 and still has dealings with “Sir Paul” today. Gregory generously found time in his overbooked schedule for this performance.
To record this significant book, he thought it fitting to use the original recording equipment that his father, George Martin, had used with the Beatles. Sitting at that same historic equipment to record the memoirs, Gregory sometimes felt that he, too, had become Paul. It felt uncanny.
Special thanks to sound engineers: William Shinker (British Grove Studios), Andy Cook (Red Planet Records), and Clint Ramon Harrigan (Ranch Trailing Post-Production).
The Memoirs of Billy Shears: Nine After 9-09 Edition is also available in hardcover, paperback, and as an e-book. Printed versions have footnotes, word-stacking, and the world’s longest acrostic. In the US, get the hardcover from www.BillyShears.com. Elsewhere, find the paperback via Amazon. Whatever you believe about Paul, let this performance take you on the Beatles fantasy of a lifetime. It is your ultimate magical mystery. With this view of the Beatles’ inner-workings, you, and their songs, may never be the same."
I'm looking forward to listening to the Phillip Norman version, to see how it parallels the Thomas E. Uharriet copy. Makes me wonder what may be different and if there are any similarities. I know I have spoken of length about the PID theory and when Tay was telling me his opinions on it, the things I learned do make sense to what I originally remember from when I first stumbled on it, decades ago.
I know this is going to take some time to get through since it's 26 discs, running a total of 30.5 hours. The way I've been listening to things lately, I'm glad it's not due back until September.
Last but not least, six: I found some super heroes in the young adult section of the library!
Yes, I go into the young adult section because I occasionally pick up a Disney movie or one of the comic book movies. Strangely, Marvel and DC are put in the kids section rather than the adult section.
Plus, I pick up random educational coloring pages for my cousins' kids (Hi Brady, Levi, Stevie, Marla, Lana and Daisy).
I couldn't find the exact Iron Man decal, but I linked to some variations below. The same goes for the Batman decal. However, I think I found the Captain America one, or close to it.
I know a few people who would love the Iron Man and Captain America on their wall (Hi Cat), while I wouldn't necessarily use this specific Batman, I used to work with someone who would 100% want it in his office and at his house (Hi Travis, if you're still reading these pages).
It is pretty rad to see the comic icons up and around; it gets the kids asking questions and reading something new, yet old. It is a good win for everyone.
I think that's about it for now with the rest of the updates. Maybe I will have more over the weekend, but until I can sort some more things out and not put everything in one section, I should wrap this up.
Go on and listen to something new and read something wild. Take in a nature show and don't bother the animals if they're busy with whatever life has them doing.
Videos edited in Pinnacle Studio 18 Ultimate. There's an upgrade to this program, as linked. The third video, or second gecko, uses Pinnacle stock audio: "Film/TV" | "Dreamscape" | "The Visitor", which is aptly fitting.
As I'm using a Windows 8.1 laptop and Pinnacle 18, I do apologize for the way the videos saved. the error arrows are due to software fighting itself.
